World News - 4 of 5 Americans killed in Iraq helicopter crash shot execution-style in the back of the head

Four of the five Americans killed when a U.S. security company's helicopter crashed in a dangerous Sunni neighborhood in central Baghdad were shot execution style in the back of the head, Iraqi and U.S. officials said Wednesday.A senior Iraqi military official said a machine gunner downed the helicopter, but a U.S. military official in Washington said there were no indications that the aircraft, owned by Blackwater USA, had been shot out of the sky.In Washington, a U.S. defense official said four of the five killed were shot in the back of the head but did not know whether they were still alive when they were shot. The U.S. official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak on the record.The Iraqi official, who also declined to be identified because details had not been made public, said the four were shot in the back of the head while they were on the ground.... http://www.cbsnews.com

Floods and mudslides in central Peru have left at least 16 people dead and scores homeless, the authorities say. Some 20 people are reported missing in the San Ramon district, Junin province, where a state of emergency is in place. On Monday, rivers burst their banks and mudslides buried villages after a weekend of torrential rains. The search for survivors and bodies goes on, but officials say they are struggling to clear the mud and provide food and shelter for those affected. Routes into the region were cut off, completely isolating some of the affected areas and hampering rescue and recovery efforts. Many of the fatalities are reported to be children who were swept away by the landslides in the middle of the night. ...http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6293977.stm

Four people have been injured in a mortar attack at the main airport in Somalia's capital, Mogadishu. A BBC correspondent said one person was seriously injured in the attack, moments before the arrival of a plane carrying a United Nations delegation. It comes a day after some 200 Ethiopian troops left their base at the airport to return home after helping the government defeat Islamists last month. In Kenya, the US envoy held talks with a top Islamist leader in custody. US ambassador to Kenya Michael Ranneberger met Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed at an undisclosed location in Nairobi, a US official told the BBC. No details were given about what was discussed at the meeting. The chairman of the Union of Islamic Courts, who is the first Islamist leader to be captured since they fled an Ethiopian advance in December, is seen by the US as a moderate. ...http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6293897.stm

Lebanon is returning to normal after a nationwide anti-government strike led by the Hezbollah faction, but the group has warned of more action to come. Bulldozers cleared debris from Beirut streets after fighting that saw three people killed and 100 injured. But Hezbollah and its allies threatened even more dramatic steps if they were not granted a government role. There was no indication that any deal was reached to end the strike, leaving Lebanese fearful of a new flare-up. The BBC's Jim Muir in Beirut says people in the city are well aware that there could still be worse to come. Hezbollah, which is backed by Syria and Iran, has been campaigning since the beginning of December to replace the Western-backed cabinet with a government in which it would have a veto....http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6293437.stm

Greece has warned buyers of former royal treasures being sold by London auction house Christie's that they could face legal action. Culture Minister Giorgos Voulgarakis had urged Christie's not to go ahead, saying the items may have been illegally exported from Greece. But the auction house said it saw no reason to stop the two-day sale, which began on Wednesday. On offer are more than 850 items once owned by King George I of Greece. King George ruled from 1863 to 1913. His collection includes antique silverware, paintings, Chinese jade and Faberge items from the former royal estate in Tatoi, north of Athens. Mr Voulgarakis told buyers to think carefully. "If someone buys something that proves to be illegal, the state will turn both against Christie's and the buyer," he told state TV. He said Greece had asked the British courts to force the auction house to disclose where it obtained the pieces....http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6293859.stm

The state bar has added ethics charges to a complaint filed against the prosecutor who brought sexual assault charges against three Duke lacrosse players, accusing him of withholding DNA evidence and making misleading statements to the court. The new charges by the North Carolina State Bar against Durham County District Attorney Mike Nifong were announced Wednesday and could lead to his removal from the state bar, according to a copy of the updated complaint. Nifong's office arranged for a private lab to conduct DNA testing as part of the investigation into allegations three men raped a 28-year-old woman hired to perform as a stripper at a party thrown by the lacrosse team last March. Those tests uncovered genetic material from several men on the woman's underwear and body, but none from any lacrosse player. The bar complaint alleges those results weren't released to defense lawyers in a timely fashion and that Nifong repeatedly said in court he had turned over all evidence that ...http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/01/24/ap/national/mainD8MRN5PO8.shtml